The holistic residency application review process was created and implemented by Vice Chair of Education Dr. Sujatha Ramachandran and Vice Chair of Clinical Operations Dr. Tracey Straker, who also serves as the department’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer. The initiative represents an important component of the department’s commitment to diversity and equity.

Increasing the number of underrepresented minority students – which include African American, Latino, and Native American medical students – in the Anesthesiology Residency Program is a key part of the department's mission. The revamped application review process included having all faculty interviewers take the Implicit Association Test, so they are aware of their implicit biases and utilizing a new application software to “blind” certain applicant information.

“Especially in the specialty of anesthesiology, we don’t have a high percentage of underrepresented minority candidates,” Dr. Ramachandran explained. “It’s important for us to not bias ourselves during the application process so we can continue to grow the number of diverse candidates within our residency classes.”

The new “blinding” process removed specific applicant information from reviewers including the applicant’s name, photograph, medical school, and U.S. Medical Licensing Examination scores so that the reviewers are not persuaded by these factors that tend to cause implicit bias and put underrepresented minority students at a disadvantage. In addition, Drs. Ramachandran and Straker were able to use the software to identify specific keywords in applicants’ personal statements including resiliency, advocacy, underrepresented, and economic challenges.

“We wanted to create a holistic process and not just pay attention to the scores and where the candidates went to medical school,” Dr. Ramachandran explained. “We’re weighing more heavily the strength of the personal statement, transcripts, letters of recommendation, and the applicants’ defining characteristics with the goal of recruiting more diverse candidates. We also assess the applicant’s interest in Montefiore and if they want to work in an underserved community.”

The improved Residency Program application process is one piece of the Department of Anesthesiology’s overall DEI plans specific to the department’s Graduate Medical Education. Within the last few years, Drs. Straker and Ramachandran have also worked together to formalize Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion didactics and workshops into the Residency Program curriculum. Department Chair Dr. Matthias Eikermann said improving diversity and continuing a culture of equity and inclusion is a top priority for the Montefiore Einstein Department of Anesthesiology.

“We strive to attract an engaged, highly diverse group of residents with outstanding skills – those who want to serve the people of the Bronx during their residency and beyond,” Dr. Eikermann said.